Recipes

A couple of friends put recipes on their blog and I always thought that was such a great idea. Recently I was asked to post some of my favorite recipes. I tried to think of what I could put on the blog but I've realized that I don't follow recipes that often. Maybe I should. I probably would be a better cook if I did! Sure, I'll use recipes as guidelines but it seems that I always change something. Then, I don't record the changes I made so things are different every time I cook them. Paul is a much better cook than I am. He's the cook, I'm the baker.

So instead of recipes, here's a list of helpful and useful hints to make meals healthier and more nutritious:
1. When baking, the amount of sugar can almost always be decreased by 1/4 (my sister Michelle gave me this hint).
2. Molasses and Apple Sauce are great natural 'sugars'. Substitute some of the sugar in a recipe with these. Molasses contains calcium, iron and potassium. It's a superfood.
3. Instead of butter, try coconut oil or grapeseed oil (this one is mild and neutral in flavor). Don't ever use margarine or Crisco- they are not real foods.
4. Almond butter and applesauce are awesome on waffles. No need for the maple syrup.
5. Ground up flax seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds gives extra protein and fiber to muffins, breads and oatmeal.
6. Spinach and zucchini are really mild flavored vegetables. They can be (steamed, pureed and) added to many things: smoothies, oatmeal, yogurt, quesadillas, etc...
7. Smoothies rock! Yogurt, fruit juice, fresh or frozen fruit, pureed veggies, nut butters, you name it. Yum.
8. Make sure your yogurt contains LIVE & ACTIVE cultures. If it only contains one or the other (or none), you are not getting the beneficial probiotics. Skip on the ones that contain fake sugar.
9. You can substitute 1/3 to 1/2 of the flour in a recipe with ground up oatmeal, cornmeal, brown rice flour, etc...
10. Puree steamed veggies and freeze in ice cube trays. Then it is so convenient to add some 'nutrient cubes' in practically any meal you are preparing: soups, stews, sauces, meatloaf. Works well for pureed roasted squashes as well (butternut, acorn).
11. You can make 'flavor cubes' by mixing olive oil and herbs (basil and parsley are our favorites) in a food processor and then freezing in ice cube trays. Awesome on pasta.

Share your hints and tips with me!